“Julian has again impressively demonstrated his value and importance to our squad this season,” declared the Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes. “He has taken responsibility and led the way when it was particularly needed - in one of the many phases with players out due to injury,” said Rolfes. “We very much look forward to having him in the squad for another year as a proven leader.”
And for sporting managing director Rudi Völler, Baumgartlinger is “an anchor and stabilising factor, especially for our young players. Julian’s experience on and off the pitch is worth it’s weight in gold,” said Völler in praising the 33-year-old midfielder.
Baumgartlinger joined the Werkself in 2016 from FSV Mainz 05 where he was the captain. “The almost five years at the top level here at Leverkusen mean a lot to me. The fact the club is not only sticking with me during my current injury but also continuing to count on me speaks for itself,” said the Austrian. “That confidence does you good. Bayer 04 and everybody associated with the club can be sure I will do all I can, as I have in the past, to justify that.”
Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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"We didn’t make the right decision at the right moments," said captain Robert Andrich after the 1-0 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim, where Bayer 04 endeavoured to control the game but failed to score. The Werkself also had two enforced substitutions due to injuries. Nevertheless, the coach, captain and debutant Janis Blaswich are positive about the coming weeks. The Werkself review.
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